This Is The Ridiculous Play That Could Get Paul George Suspended From Game 7

On Thursday, near the end of the first half of Game 6 of the NBA playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers, a skirmish broke out between the Hawks' Mike Scott and the Pacers' George Hill. The players were quickly separated before things escalated, and both players were given technical fouls.

But more important to the series overall is what happened nearby on the Pacers' bench.

As the altercation starts, Pacers All-Star Paul George steps onto the court. In addition, back-up forward Rasual Butler comes onto the court. George is the player on the far right on the Pacers' bench.

In the past, the NBA has strictly enforced the rule that forbids players from stepping onto the court during altercations. Here's a different angle:

George does come completely onto the court. But it's hard to imagine the NBA would suspend an All-Star player from Game 7 of a playoff series when he did not really make any effort to get involved in the altercation.

However, there is precedent.

In 2007, Amar'e Stoudemire, playing for the Phoenix Suns in the 2007 playoffs against the Spurs, was suspended for one game after stepping onto the court when a skirmish broke out (1:06 mark of this video):

Here is the wording in the NBA rule book:

"During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their bench."

The Pacers and George have two things going for them: One, George did not make an aggressive move toward the play, and, two, the NBA has a new commissioner who can offer a new interpretation of the rule.